1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fiber-optic connector cleaning systems and more particularly to a method and a portable apparatus for cleaning fiber-optic connectors utilizing solvent and compressed-gas cans.
2. Background Art
Fiber-optic cables are capable of transmitting data at very fast rates with minimum signal loss over long distances thereby offer distinct advantages over traditional copper based wires and cables. As such, fiber-optic cables are increasingly used in a host of applications in areas such as voice and data communications, imaging, aviation, and security. One of the bottlenecks that substantially limited the proliferation of the optical fiber cables is the less than desirable user friendliness of the fiber-optic connectors. The ends of these fiber-optic connectors where optical fiber cables are terminated and interfaced must be kept clean from foreign objects such as dusts, dirt, and oil to prevent signal lost. In fact, for some critical applications, it is well known that prior to each insertion, the ends of the mating connectors must be inspected, and cleaned if necessary, to ensure satisfactory performance.
Although cleaning fiber-optic connectors is critical to the well being of fiber-optic cable links, there are only limited technologies associated with cleaning fiber-optic connectors. In particular, there is a need to develop effective, inexpensive means to clean a female fiber-optic connector where the end-face of the fiber-optic connector is recessed inside of an alignment-sleeve. A prior art fiber-optic connector cleaning method was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,821,025 issued on Nov. 23, 2004 to Gerhard. This prior art appears to be most relevant to the present invention and is thereby included herein by ways of reference.
As detailed in the aforementioned reference, the prior art fiber-optic cleaning device is depicted in FIG. 1. The cleaning device (100) consists of a connector interfacing block (110) which is in fluid communication with a cleaning solvent reservoir (not shown), a source of compressed air (not shown), and a vacuum suction pump (not shown), through interconnected channels (150), (130), and (170), respectively. One of the key elements of this prior art cleaning device is a solvent/air delivery coaxial nozzle (135, 155) that has to be precisely machined and assembled to control the amount of solvent delivered while providing adequate flow of the compressed air to dry the connector end-face.
Improvements of the prior art in several areas are desirable and may prove to be beneficial. For instance, the prior art device requires the use of a sophisticated (hence more expensive) air compressor and a vacuum pump that substantially limits device portability and its use in low cost commercial applications. Additionally, the prior art device incorporates an interconnected solvent delivery and compressed air/vacuum drying design that substantially limits the type of the solvent that can be used and device operating temperature. There is a need therefore to make improvements so that a portable, low cost fiber-optic connector cleaning device can be made.